A 2011 Australian study that set about to explain why peppermint seems to be so powerful discovered it "activates an 'anti-pain' channel in the colon, soothing inflammatory pain in the gastrointestinal tract," according to a statement.

Peppermint Curbs Cravings

Here's a neat trick: Just smelling a candy cane might convince you not to eat one. In a 2011 study, people were asked to smell peppermint oil every two hours. They reported not feeling as hungry as people who didn't get a whiff, plus they ate 2,800 fewer calories throughout the week, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Peppermint Eases Tension Headaches

Tension headaches, most often brought on by stress, anxiety and alcohol consumption (during the holidays? Never!), may be quelled by a little topical peppermint oil. In a small 1996 study, rubbing a peppermint oil solution on the forehead and temples eased headache pain just as effectively as acetaminophen after 15 minutes.

One of the two biggest active ingredients in peppermint is menthol, the compound that gives so many of those over-the-counter cold and cough remedies their minty smell. There's little evidence sniffing the stuff actually clears your nasal passages, but it seems to trick your brain into thinking it does. People report greater perception of an un-stuffy nose, even if little physically changed after inhaling pepperminty products. Sometimes when you're really under the weather, that might be good enough!

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